Their Sanctuary
by carissima
Summary: What if Kelso & Jackie never got together? Where would Jackie & Hyde be? A fluffy JH
1. Who's Jackie Burkhardt?

Who's Jackie Burkhardt?

He heard someone crying. He kept walking down the hall, passing the lockers and grumbling about the reason why he was in school at this time. Damn Coach Ferguson. Damn detention. He still wasn't gonna wear gym shorts, it didn't matter how many detentions he got. He had a reputation, y'know.

He could still hear the crying, as he reached the doors to the car park. And he was still ignoring it. He got to the El Camino, started her up … and then turned the engine off again. Damn it if this day couldn't get any worse. He went back and followed the horrible noise til he found the culprit. And he couldn't be more shocked as he entered the cafeteria. It was that Burkhardt girl, the head cheerleader, the Snow Queen, the snobby rich princess who he'd only spoken to once, and had no desire to repeat that charming experience. She was sobbing into her folded arms, resting on a table. He turned to leave, but she happened to lift her head and see him. She spoke, sniffing. "Hyde? Is that you?" Hyde turned around warily. "Erm .. yeah, its me. But I'm just leaving." Jackie watched him leave, wiping her eyes.

Just as he got to his car, he saw a ball of pink coming his way. Damn damn damn. "Erm… Hyde, could you, erm, well, not mention this to anyone?" He almost laughed at her. "Mention what? And to who? No-one I talk to would be interested in what Miss Snow Queen does." Jackie felt hurt. She knew she was a bitch at school, and she knew she'd never spoken to Hyde or any of his friends except to make bitchy comments, but she was vulnerable, and she hadn't known anyone else was around. Hyde was the last person she would have wanted to see her cry, she'd been on the end of his cutting remarks and it wasn't something she wanted to go through again. "Well, that's good to know!" Jackie turned around, covering her pain with a biting remark that should stop any further discussion between the two. Hyde shrugged, ignoring the look he'd seen in her eyes and started the El Camino and drove home, blocking out the scene with some Zeppelin.

"Hey Hyde, guess what? Kelso just got knocked back by Pam Macy again!" Eric was laughing hysterically, and Hyde grinned. He hit Kelso round the head. "Man, when are you gonna stop trying? She's not interested!"

"But she's easy! She should be asking me out! I just don't get it!"

Fez was trying to play twister by himself. "Left leg green. Ha, this game is easy! Kelso, if you can't get Pam Macy to sleep with you, what chance do I have? Ah, maybe she likes the dark chocolate?"

"Kelso, its probably because she doesn't want to go on a date with someone who's had more sex than her, man."

"Eric, you might have a point! You know, I have slept with a lotta chicks. Maybe I should look elsewhere. Man, who knew easy girls would be so hard!" Kelso moaned. "Hey, what about Jackie? She's so hot, and I know loads of guys that have done it with her, maybe she's easier than Pam! Its been three years since I asked her last time, she's gotta be ready for a bit of Kelso now!"

Hyde stayed quiet, not wanting to share what he saw just thirty minutes ago. But once Kelso brought up Jackie's name, he couldn't shake her out of his thoughts. He got up and went to his room, ignoring the looks he got from the guys.

He was wrong. The day had got worse. That damn girl was still in his thoughts. He couldn't get the sound of her crying out of his head. He couldn't get that look of pain on her face when he laughed at her. What the hell was wrong with him? He was Hyde. He was cool. He was detached from everything, even his friends. Why the hell was some bitchy cheerleader taking up so much of his thoughts? Maybe it was because she was the last person he imagined would be crying in school after everyone else was gone. What was she crying about? She was rich, popular, a cheerleader, totally hot, she had everything she wanted. He'd thought it was gonna be some nerd who'd been bullied, or something. Damn it all to hell. He needed a burger.

He grabbed the guys and headed for the Hub. When they got there, it was almost empty, so they ordered their food and sat down.

"Why's it so dead today?" Eric wondered.

"D'uh man, there's that big rally going on at school." Kelso pointed out.

"Why aren't we there?" Fez wanted to know. "There must be cheerleaders and short skirts there. And where there are short skirts, Fez must be!"

Man, why was everything making him think of that damn girl? He must be cursed.

"That's such a good idea little buddy! C'mon guys, lets go get some school spirit! And by that, I mean lets go do it with cheerleaders!" Kelso jumped up, excited at the thought of sex.

Eric started to speak. "Guys, I don't think …"

Hyde interrupted him. "Maybe its time we did get some 'school spirit'. C'mon Foreman, quit being a girl!" Eric stared at Hyde. Hyde never wanted to do anything school-related. But he shrugged and said "Fine, lets go." They picked up their food and bundled into the Vista. Hyde stared out of the window and refused to acknowledge why he wanted to go to the rally. It certainly had nothing to do with that girl.

They got there just as it was ending, and Kelso and Fez headed straight for the huddle of cheerleaders. Hyde and Eric watched Fez get knocked back by two of them, before they got bored. Eric was about to ask Hyde if he was okay, but he spotted Donna and ran off, leaving Hyde by himself. He walked over to the Vista and sat on the bonnet, keeping an eye out for that girl. Only to make sure she was okay, y'know. Not that he wanted to see her or anything. Soon enough, she came out, by herself, which was odd. Normally she was surrounded by at least four of those cheerleading clones. He watched her glance around, then hurry off without speaking to anyone. She didn't head to a car, in fact, she looked like she was gonna walk home. Damn damn damn. He couldn't let her walk home alone. She was wearing a really revealing, sexy outfit that made her look ten times hotter than normal …. Not that he'd noticed. And it was getting late. What was wrong with him? He was cool, he didn't care about some silly cheerleader, who'd done nothing but insult him. But he was still getting up, and walking in the same direction that Jackie had walked in. He quickly caught up with her, since she was walking slow, as if …. As if she was in no hurry to get anywhere.

She looked up in surprise as someone started walking next to her, and was even more shocked when she found out it was Hyde! She looked at him, caught his eye, then looked down again, confused. Why was he walking with her? She didn't want to talk to him. She waited and waited for him to say something, but he kept quiet. It appeared that he didn't want to talk to her either. Well, that was fine with her. She wasn't in the mood to talk. She kept walking, with every passing minute feeling strangely peaceful walking with this silent, brooding guy keeping her company.

Hyde sighed inwardly. What was he doing? He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but all she did was look at him and look down at the street again. It was obvious she didn't want to talk, and he was glad she didn't, because he didn't know what he could say to explain why he was walking with her. He told himself that he was only walking with her to make sure she was safe.

Twenty minutes later, they reached Jackie's house. Hyde looked up and stared, it was as different from his as it got! It was a huge house, with an immaculate garden, and a Lincoln in the driveway. All Hyde had was a dingy room in the Foreman basement. But he liked it. He didn't like this house. It was too big, too immaculate. He felt Jackie looking up at him. He looked back at her. She smiled at him. It was the first time he'd seen her smile, and he had to admit it, it made him stare. She looked so sweet and innocent, that he blinked, not believing it was the same girl who looked so bitchy and mean all the time.

"Thank you for walking me home." She reached up and kissed his cheek, then walked up the long driveway to her door, and went inside. Hyde was in shock. For a girl that never shut up in school, she had barely said a word. She hadn't asked why he'd walked her home, she hadn't talked about inane rubbish like she normally did, she'd just been quiet. Like him. And she'd understood why he'd walked her home. Without a word spoken between them, she'd understood. He shook his head, and started to walk back to Foreman's, completely confused about what had happened between Jackie and him today.

Déjà vu. Hyde walked the corridor again, after another detention. He didn't care how many he got, he wasn't wearing those damn shorts! He pushed open the doors and saw Jackie sitting on the bonnet of his car. Waiting for him. He walked up to her and stood waiting. She smiled that smile again. That soft, sweet smile. "Could I get a lift home please, Steven?" What the hell? Steven? Where did that come from? And why did she want a lift? He looked into her eyes and saw something there. He couldn't believe it, but he saw himself in her eyes. What the …?

"Get in." It was all he said, but Jackie breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure if yesterday was just yesterday, but she felt safe with Steven. She didn't like calling him Hyde, it was so impersonal. She'd waited for him, hoping to spend more time with him. She didn't understand why, she just knew that when she looked into his eyes, through the shades, she saw herself there.

A routine began, which nobody else knew about. Hyde would have a detention, and when he got out, Jackie would be waiting on his bonnet. If he didn't have a detention, he'd be one of the last out, deliberately waiting. Jackie would wait and then go to his car after everyone left. He'd nod at her, then drive her home. She'd give him a soft kiss on the cheek, smile that smile, and thank him for the ride. Hyde didn't know why the routine started. He didn't know what Jackie was doing in school til his detention finished. He didn't know why she asked him for a ride home everyday. But it became a routine. One he almost looked forward to. Almost, but not quite. He was still Hyde. He never mentioned it to the guys. He didn't mention it to Donna. He just turned up a bit later than usual after a detention, no-one noticed.

Then one day, after the routine had lasted five weeks, Jackie wasn't there. He'd come out late as usual, and there was no hot girl on his bonnet. No sweet smile waiting for him. He didn't show it, but inside his stomach tied up. Where the hell was she? Well, he wasn't waiting for her if she was late. He only did it as a favour anyway. Still, he took his sweet time about getting ready to leave, and when he finally pulled away, he did one last check of the car park.

She didn't come back. For three days, he waited for her, but she was never on his car, he didn't see her smile, he missed her. He actually missed her. He'd hardly spoken to her, only the same thing everyday, but he missed her. He reasoned it was because of habit, or because she was hot. But he was worried. So he drove to her house and knocked on the door.

When the door opened, he got a shock. Jackie didn't look perfectly made up. She looked awful. Her hair wasn't done, she looked pale and she sneezed as she opened the door. He took one look and pushed his way into the house. Jackie was shocked, what the hell was Steven doing here? She looked awful, he must think she's such a skank. But when he turned around, he looked confused. "Are you ill?" Jackie nodded. "Where are your parents?" Jackie looked down. "Are you alone?"

Jackie looked up. "No, Daddy's at work and will be home in an hour. Mom's on holiday." That's it, keep telling the lies. It always worked.

Hyde looked at her. "You're lying. Where's your dad?"

Jackie stared at him. No-one could tell when she lied! She was perfect at lying! But she looked at him and suddenly sighed.

"He's …. Away. On business." Hyde kept staring. Oh, for God's sake …. "He's in jail," Jackie whispered.

"Okay."

Jackie was confused. Was that all Steven was here for? To barge in, see through her lies, then walk out? She looked at him.

"So, where can I stay?"

Jackie gasped. "What?"

Hyde looked at Jackie. He barely knew her, but he knew there was a hell of a lot more to her than what he had thought before their routine. There was no way he was letting her stay in this huge house by herself, especially when she was ill.

"I'm gonna ….. look after you." Hyde said grudgingly.

Jackie couldn't believe her ears. He was what? She barely knew this guy, but she did know that he was the only person who noticed that she wasn't at school. He was the only person to check up on her. He was the only person who made her feel safe, although she had no idea why.

"You… you can't. Why?"

"Because you're ill."

Jackie looked at him. For some reason, although they didn't know anything about each other, had barely said two words to each other, and had only known each other really for a short time, she found herself saying okay.

So Hyde found a new routine. He'd stay in his room til he was sure everyone was out, then he'd drive over to Jackie's to keep her company through the night. Again, they barely spoke, but he could tell that she was getting thoughts. Thoughts about him being her knight in shining armour. Damn damn damn. That was pretty much all that went through his head when he thought about Jackie. For some reason, she made him want to look after her. He wanted to know the real Jackie, the one she showed him and no-one else. He wanted to know why she'd picked him to be herself with.

Jackie recovered from her cold, and yet every night, Steven would still come over. He'd still keep her company. And when the weekend came, Steven was nowhere to be found by his friends. Eric, Kelso, Fez and Donna couldn't find him anywhere. He was at Jackie's. Where else would he be? He wanted to speak to Jackie, get her to talk. But not like she did at school. Not talk like he'd heard her talk about make-up and boys and crap. He wanted to hear Jackie talk. He couldn't understand why Miss Chatterbox never said anything around him.

Jackie came downstairs for breakfast, and was surprised to find Steven sitting watching tv. She expected him to be gone, like he usually was. He had to be home in time for breakfast at the Foreman's. He looked up and saw her confusion.

"They don't expect me there on the weekends. Usually with a chick."

That was all he said, and it made her jealous. She stopped. Why was she jealous? She didn't like Steven! She had an usual relationship with him, but she didn't like him like that! Or did she?

She sat next to him on the couch, picking at some bread. He looked at it in disgust. She never ate properly.

"Thank you Steven." He looked at her, but she was staring at the tv. He had grown used to her calling him Steven, he even liked it. But he'd never admit it.

"So, Jackie …" He began. He saw her wary look. "Don't you think you should start talking?"

She looked at him. "Talk about what?"

"Anything. I know you have this compulsion to talk, I've heard you at school. And yet, round me, you never open your mouth. What gives?"

She started to pick at a cushion.

"I know you don't like to talk. I know you're the silent type. And I know that you've made fun of me and what I say."

Hyde grinned. "Yeah, I have. But you do talk crap, y'know."

Jackie sighed. "In your opinion. I like what I talk about. But I know you don't want to hear about my hair conditioner, or why I'm so great at cheerleading."

"That's very true." Hyde was thankful that she knew that about him. Saved him a lot of boring conversation, and stopped him burning her with her silly comments. And he really didn't want to say anything to upset her, not while she was vulnerable.

"I guess, I don't know what to talk to you about. Anything important, I know that you know. Like when you walked me home. I knew you knew what I was thinking and feeling, without saying a word."

Hyde thought about it. It was true, he was surprised to find. He did know what she was thinking. And it appeared that she knew what he was thinking. She appeared to know him extremely well, which unnerved him.

"Steven … thank you for the last month. I don't know why you've done it, been nice to me, stayed here with me, when you barely know me, and when you hated me, but thank you." There it was, that smile and kiss again. He didn't like to admit it, but he'd missed those.

"I walked you home because I didn't want you to walk alone. It wasn't safe. I gave you a lift home because you looked like you needed something. I came round because … you stopped being at my car. I stayed because you shouldn't be alone. I don't hate you. I didn't like you, but since that day that, y'know, I've seen the real you. And I don't mind her so much. She's kinda cool."

Jackie beamed. Steven Hyde, Mr Cool, liked her, Miss Bitchy Cheerleader! It was amazing! She didn't know how it had happened, but she was ecstatic! Who would have thought that she'd like Steven? He was scruffy, mean, sarcastic, and poor, but he'd shown her the real Steven Hyde, just like she'd shown him the real Jackie Burkhardt. Who'd have thought?

They stayed there, watching tv for hours, barely talking. Then he'd had to go, show his face around his friends. But he told her he'd be back tonight. Jackie nodded, trying to be cool. He looked at her one last time, then left.

Sitting in the basement with the gang, Steven was bored. He knew where he'd rather be, and it surprised him a lot. The guys had assumed he'd been with a chick, and hadn't said a word about him being missing. They knew Hyde didn't talk about that stuff. Another hour of wanting to be somewhere else, and Hyde gave up the pretence. He got up and left, telling the guys he was going cruising.

Yeah, he went cruising. Straight into Jackie's driveway. He let himself in and called out that he was there, and sat on the couch. Jackie raced downstairs and asked if he wanted a beer. Hyde replied: "That's cool." Jackie was confused, but figured that it meant that he wanted one. He took it from her as she sat next to him. Well, here it was. The other Jackie came out. She started talking about stupid things that Hyde wasn't listening to. But they found that it worked. Hyde knew Jackie liked to talk, needed to talk, and he let her. Jackie knew Steven wasn't listening, but she pretended he was. It was nice to talk about stuff again. Every time she paused, he'd say uh-huh or something, and she'd smile, knowing he didn't have a clue about what she'd said, but knowing that he was here, and letting her talk, was so sweet of him. Just one more thing that she liked about this mysterious man that had settled into her life without her knowing how or why. But she was sure glad that he had. The same thing happened the next night and the night after.

After about a week of hearing Jackie talk, she had been talking all evening, then suddenly stopped, and started to watch tv as well. After an hour of that, she started dosing off. Hyde saw and sighed. He didn't know why, but he lifted his arm out and she scooted into the crook of his arm, her hand on his chest. Neither of them questioned why Hyde had done that, but both of them felt something good blooming. Jackie fell asleep in the comfort of his arms, and after another hour, Hyde gently picked her up and put her to bed. He stared at her. She was so different to what he'd thought she was just a few months ago. He wanted to look after her, protect her. He didn't want her to turn out like he had, when his parents abandoned him. He suddenly understood why he'd seen himself in Jackie's eyes that day. He understood her pain, and he understood her. For some reason, the two opposites just clicked. And for some unknown reason, he bent down, brushed her hair off her face, and gave her a soft kiss. She smiled, and opened her eyes. "Steven …" she whispered. "Stay with me?"

She looked so beautiful, and Steven wanted to comfort her, so he got undressed and slid into bed with her. He curled up behind her and put his arms around her. He silently laughed. What would anyone do if they saw the two of them like this? The rich princess and the rebel, who had a relationship that no-one knew about!

In the morning, Hyde woke to find soft lips pressed against his. He smiled, knowing who they belonged to, and kissed her back, a soft, tender kiss that spoke volumes. "Hey." Jackie smiled at Hyde. He returned the greeting, which he followed up with another kiss. And another.

Monday lunchtime at school, the whole of Point Place student population stopped and stared as Steven Hyde walked into the cafeteria. He never came in here. He stayed on his car, on his own, no friends around, smoking whatever was available. He saw Eric, Donna, Fez, Kelso and some chick sitting at a table, staring at him as everyone else was doing. He smirked and waved at them. But he wasn't there for them. He looked around and saw the cheerleader table. He walked slowly towards it. The whole room held its breath. What was he gonna do? Why was he here? And why was he heading towards a table full of people everyone knew he couldn't stand? Hyde mocked cheerleaders. He mocked people that liked cheerleaders. He was questioning that himself. But Jackie had made him stupid.

Jackie saw him walking towards her and her heart flipped. She stood up and walked towards him, ignoring whoever had been talking to her. He looked at her and she smiled that smile at him. The whole room stared, was that Jackie Burkhardt? Smiling so sweetly? Walking towards HYDE? Everyone felt the world turn upside down, as Hyde cupped Jackie's face, gave her the softest kiss, took her hand and led her out of the room, where she went willingly, smiling up at her Steven.


	2. Down In The Basement

Okay, I thought the first chapter was a story by itself, but someone pointed out there was potential for more, so here it is, hope you like!

**Down In The Basement**

The whole cafeteria was in shock. What had just happened?! Was this some dream, some wacky nightmare? Jackie Burkhardt, and Steven Hyde? Suddenly the whole room flocked to two tables, the cheerleader table and the 'basement' table. Everyone wanted to know what was going on. How did this happen? But the cheerleaders and Hyde's friends looked as shocked and confused as everyone else. Suddenly Eric got up and ran out, followed by Donna, Fez & Kelso. They ran to the El Camino and stopped in front of it just as Hyde was pulling away.

"What the hell? Foreman, get out of the way!" Hyde stopped the car and glared at his friends.

Eric just stared at Hyde. Then he stared at Jackie. Then Hyde and Jackie. He tried to speak but nothing came out. He'd known Hyde since, well, forever, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Donna spoke first. "Hyde, man, what the hell?"

Hyde sighed. He refused to look at Jackie, although he could feel her gaze on him. "Look, we'll talk about this later. In the basement. Right now, gotta go." The guys moved out of the way and let Hyde pull away.

"Steven, that was amazing!" Jackie glowed. Hyde looked at her, smiling that smile, and he mellowed.

"Yeah, well, look out because the whole world knows now. We're gonna be hounded."

Jackie just kept smiling. Nothing could ruin her day, she'd just witnessed something magical. Steven cared about her, he wanted her, and he was so much more than she'd ever hoped for. Nope, nothing could ruin her day.

After a few hours at the Burkhardt house, making out and watching tv, they decided to face the music. As they reached the basement, Hyde led Jackie in the door. Jackie looked around and turned up her nose. "Eww, whats that smell? And why's it so dark in here?"

Everyone was there. They heard the comment. It was exactly what they'd expected this rich, snobby princess to say. Immediately everyone was on their guard. They hadn't liked her before today, and now, well, now they _really_ didn't like her. She had no right to be in their basement. Hyde didn't appear to have heard the comment and just headed for his chair. No-one said anything. Jackie looked at Steven, wondering what to do. He stared at her, slipping into his mask, being the Hyde that everyone else saw. She saw his mask, and she decided that to get through this, she'd be the Jackie everyone expected.

"Jackie, shut up and sit down." Hyde didn't particularly want to sound harsh, but he couldn't help it. He hoped she knew that. Jackie looked around and saw there was nowhere to sit, so she walked over to Hyde. Hyde lost his cool for a split second. Oh no, she was gonna sit on my lap …. Then he grinned. Oh yeah, she's gonna sit on my lap! She smiled, not his Jackie smile, but a more devilish smile, before she sat across his lap. His arms immediately went round her, resting behind her back and on her legs. He smiled then went back to staring at the tv.

The whole group stared. "Okay, enough. What the hell is going on?" Eric said, pointing at the couple.

Hyde looked up. He really didn't want to get into this, so he left Eric's words hanging in the air. Jackie looked up at Eric. "Steven and I are together." She then turned back to the tv.

"Well, its not like we hadn't noticed that. Impossible not to. I mean, how? When? Where? And for God's sake, _WHY_?" Eric's voice rose through the questions, ending on a squeak.

"Stop being a girl Foreman." Hyde said, still staring at the tv. 

"Hyde! Stop messing around. This morning, you couldn't stand cheerleaders. You hated them. You called them the devils daughters. Now you're here, with the Head Cheerleader, who by the way, hates us all and bitches about us all the time!" Donna pointed out.

Hyde's response: "She's hot." Jackie looked at him outraged. "Hey! I'm not just hot! I'm the most beautiful girl in Point Place." She thought for a second. "No, make that Wisconsin."

"I agree." Fez smiled at the beautiful girl. "Why are you guys so shocked? Hyde is a man, Jackie is a woman, it is natural, no?"

"No! It's the most unnatural thing in the world! Its creepy, its insane, and I think I might be having a heart attack!" Eric clutched his chest.

"Shut up Eric." Everyone stared. That comment should have come from Hyde. But it came out of Jackie's mouth. "Look, we're together. That's all. We're going out. It happened. There is no why."

"Hey, don't be getting ideas. You're not my girlfriend. You're just someone to fool around with." Hyde kept looking at the tv, hoping Jackie would know that he didn't mean it. He hoped that unspoken thing they had between them, that unspoken understanding, would make her realise that he had to be cool in the basement. That's who he was, he was Hyde. He was cool.

Jackie knew what he was doing. She didn't mind, she knew as soon as they were on their own, Hyde would get that look in his eyes, hold her close, and kiss her softly, making her feel protected, and wanted. "Hey, I never said anything about you being my boyfriend. Why would I want to stay with someone like you? You're dirty and you have no taste, and you're poor. I could have any guy I wanted. I'm just here for …."

Hyde looked at her, smirking. "Yeah? You're here for …" He couldn't wait to hear what she said to get out of this one.

"My dirty urges." She said it. She actually said it! She couldn't believe it! But Steven had made her do it! Hyde stared at the tv and found himself falling a bit harder for this snobby princess. She wasn't afraid of anyone, even him. God knows, Kelso, Fez and Eric were scared of him and they'd known him all his life.

"Oh, so you're just fooling around. Well, I guess that's ….. extremely creepy, unnatural and still mind-boggling, but at least its nothing serious. I mean, what, Hyde's never been with a girl longer than 2 weeks. So, two weeks of the devil cheerleader, and we're back to normal. I can handle that. I think." Eric looked relieved. As long as this …. _thing_ …. wasn't serious. He didn't understand it, but still, he'd cope for two weeks.

"Oh man, I _told_ you she was easy!" Kelso moaned. "I should've asked her out before Hyde!" Hyde reached over and frogged Kelso. "What? She just said she's here for her dirty urges!"

"Dirty urges. I have dirty urges. Why can't I get a hot cheerleader to look after my dirty urges?" Fez sighed.

Hyde smiled to himself. Okay, no more questions about him and Jackie. At least, until the gang caught on that they were serious. But maybe by then, they'd just accept her. Yeah, they just needed some readjustment. Hyde could see why they were surprised, hell, he was still surprised sometimes when he thought about it. But then he'd just find Jackie, look into her eyes, see himself and then he'd know.

"Eww! She's so ugly!" Jackie's high-pitched voice cut through his daydream. Hey, he was strong. He could ignore her outside image, so long as he got the real Jackie when they were alone. It was lucky he was strong though. That voice sure was piercing.

The gang sighed. Eric and Donna both hoped this weird picture of Hyde and Jackie together wouldn't last long. Kelso kept trying to work out how long it would be til he could ask Jackie out. Man, he had known she was easy! Fez munched on his candy, happy that the beautiful girl was gonna stick around a while. Maybe he'd see her boobs if she was easy.

"You know, Donna, you shouldn't wear those lumberjack shirts. And you should try some make-up, and do your hair. Otherwise people are gonna think you're a boy."

Donna looked outraged. "Hey! I do my hair!" Jackie stared at her. "Okay, well, I take that back You should do your hair … _properly_." Donna looked at Eric and rolled her eyes. It was gonna be a loooooong two weeks. "Eric, you wanna go … for a drive?" Donna asked. Eric shrugged, he was happy here.

"Eric! Do you wanna go for a _drive_?"

"Oh, a _drive_, yeah yeah, lets go!" Eric eagerly jumped up. Kelso and Fez looked at Hyde and Jackie. "Can we get lifts man?" Kelso asked, also jumping up. All four of them ran out of the basement.

Jackie smiled and turned to Hyde. "So, fooling around are we?" Hyde shrugged. Jackie laughed and punched him. "Hey!!"

Hyde looked at her and took off him sunglasses. He leant in and gave her a kiss. "So, having dirty urges are we?"

Jackie giggled. "Hey, you made me say it!"

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you'd have the guts to say it. I'm impressed."

Jackie leant back against him. "I like your friends."

Hyde chuckled. "No offence babe, but I'm certain they hate you!"

"That's okay. I'm used to that. So long as you don't hate me." She smiled that soft smile, glowing that he'd just called her babe, comfortable knowing that hate was the last emotion Steven was feeling for her. "So what do you think? Are they gonna let me stay after two weeks?"

Hyde shrugged. They'd cross that bridge later. Right now, he wanted to forget about his friends and concentrate on Jackie. "C'mon, lets go to my room."

Jackie got up and was surprised to be led to a small room at the back of the basement. "You live in the basement?"

"Yeah." Jackie looked around the room and saw very little.

"Looks cosy." Hyde glared at her.

"I like it." Jackie was already thinking of ways to brighten up the room, perhaps some pink flowers, a few unicorn teddies, and a framed photograph of her, of course! Hyde saw her eyes glaze over and sighed. "Look, Jackie, don't go there, okay? I like my room exactly as it is. Exactly as it is. Don't think about changing one piece of dust in this room." Jackie nodded, but Hyde knew she wasn't listening. He guessed it was his punishment for always ignoring her when she said something stupid. He turned around, and broke her thoughts in the best possible way, by kissing her.

Jackie sighed. She felt so amazing when Steven kissed her. It was like heaven. He had this thing about him that told her he'd protect her, no matter what. No one had ever wanted to protect her before, and she felt cherished. She kissed him back, trying to tell him with her kisses how much he'd come to mean to her in such a short time. They both knew that people only saw the outside of Jackie Burkhardt, Princess, and Steven Hyde, Badass. They knew no one would ever understand why they were together. But when the two of them were alone, and they could do and say and act however they liked, they knew that they were understood.


	3. Accepting The Relationship

**A/N: **Here's chapter three, hope you like it as much as I do! Reviews are most appreciated, if anyone has any opinion on where they'd like the story to go, that would be good!

**Coming To Terms**

Eric and Donna were parked at the lookout, but they weren't kissing. Donna knew Eric was still upset about Hyde and the cheerleader, and she waited for him to talk. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long.

"She's the devil! He always said that about cheerleaders. And snobby princesses. And what, now he's dating one?"

"Eric, it'll be over in two weeks. You know Hyde." Donna hoped this was true. She couldn't see it lasting, the two of them were complete opposites, each hating what the other represented.

Eric frowned, turned to Donna and said what was really troubling him. "Donna, this isn't going to be over in two weeks."

Donna looked at Eric, surprised. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I _know_ Hyde. He always talks about how he hates people like Jackie, but do you remember when he first started hating them?" He saw Donna shake her head. " It was three years ago. Hyde had cut class and was just sneaking out when he heard someone crying. Turns out, Jackie was in the toilets, crying about something. Hyde, being Hyde, couldn't ignore it, so he went in and put his arm around her. Then one of the cheerleader devils came in. Jackie pushed Hyde away and told him to never put his hands on her again, that he wasn't good enough to touch her, why was he in here, and so on. Since then, he's been, well Hyde."

Donna wasn't surprised. Fez and Kelso hadn't really noticed, but her and Eric knew that, deep down, Hyde was an amazing guy. He hid it so well, beneath the sarcasm, and the burns, and the cool mask he always wore. But both of them had seen brief glimpses of his protectiveness at times. Apparently, this Jackie girl brought it out in him, for God knows what reason.

"I guess she had to say that in front of the cheerdevil." Donna said, once again cursing those stupid cliques that stuck during high school.

"Yeah, but for some reason, it really got to Hyde. That's why I know this isn't a fling. Its something much more than that. I mean, Hyde wouldn't brave the cafeteria for anyone. And he certainly wouldn't kiss just anyone in front of the whole school. Its serious, Donna."

"Well, there must be something about her then. Maybe if we wait long enough, and concentrate hard enough, we'll see this magical part of Jackie that Hyde's fallen for." Donna knew that Jackie had to have some redeeming qualities, and they must be pretty darn special for Hyde to give up all he'd known and believed in for her.

"Anyway, enough about them. Lets get _naked_!" Eric moved in and captured Donna's lips. She sighed. Yeah, Hyde and Jackie could be dealt with later.

Hyde and Jackie were still in his room, enjoying the peace and quiet. Hyde knew how rare it was to have no-one else around, and he wanted to take full advantage. They were both laying on his bed, and he propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Jackie. She looked up, smiled her Steven smile, and pulled him towards her for a kiss. But this kiss was different. Jackie decided that she'd had enough of soft kisses, they were amazing, but she wanted something else. So she deepened the kiss. Hyde smiled to himself, and let the passion sweep over him, meeting Jackie more than half way. The fireworks caused by the kiss were scorching, and by the time they broke away, both of them were gasping for breath, both of them were a little dazed, and Jackie's eyes were cloudy and dazed. Hyde couldn't quite believe the passion that kiss had ignited, and his surprise was quickly dissolving into pleasure. Wow, they were gonna burn as they got deeper.

Jackie rubbed her fingers over her lips and stared at Hyde. "Wow!"

Hyde nodded, not saying anything. "Did you know that'd happen? I've never …. I mean …. that's never ….." Jackie broke off, unsure of what she wanted to say.

Hyde kissed her, softly. "Me neither." Jackie smiled, glad that he knew what she was getting at. This man of hers, he was so surprising, and not like any of the boys she'd dated before. They'd all kissed like they had no idea of what to do, but Steven, he was an expert. He knew what to do, and then some.

Jackie laid back down and started to chatter inanely about something that Pam Macy had done in English that morning, and Hyde blocked her voice out, concentrating on her eyes and lips and anything else that had him mesmerised. He thought about Eric, and everyone's reactions earlier. It could have been a whole lot worse. Hell, if he'd been Eric, he would have done worse. But Eric, man, he understood what Hyde was, and understood him in ways that Hyde was always surprised at. Once Eric had a moment to think clearly about Hyde and Jackie, he knew Eric would realise that it wasn't a two week thing. Neither of them would bring it up, but he knew Eric would know. He thought back to the day that Eric was just telling Donna about in the Vista, remembering how he'd tried to ignore the crying, just as he'd tried to ignore it a few weeks ago. But something about the crying made him stop, and he sighed as he pushed open the door and walked into the girls toilets. He cursed when he saw it was that Burkhardt girl, but he still went over and put his arms around her. When she'd realised it was him, she had let him comfort her. For some reason, it didn't surprise her, although it should have. She'd always thought Steven Hyde was more than just a laid-back, poor slacker. She'd stopped crying eventually, but hadn't moved out of his arms. Then the door had opened and Jackie had sprung back, groaning inwardly when she saw the cheerleader. She paused, then did what she had to do. She'd screamed at Hyde, calling him names, insulting him, and eventually, when she couldn't physically say another word, she'd run out.

What Jackie hadn't realised, was that Hyde had seen the emotions in her eyes. He saw dismay, anger, regret, sorrow all flash through her, and he looked into her eyes as she insulted him. He ignored the insults, but wanted her to stop for her own sake. She'd been crying when she ran out, but this time at least, he knew the reason was him. He hadn't wanted to put her through that again, so he took every opportunity to burn her, to keep her away from him and stop the conflict he'd seen in her eyes that day. He guessed that was why she'd let him walk her home, and let him stay over, because of that day, she knew he'd protect her. Damn that protectiveness of his. It was the only flaw in his perfect emotional armor. No-one got to Hyde, he was zen. But then, every once in a while, he'd see someone hurt, or angry, and he let the armor slip, and he became protective. And damn if Jackie didn't bring it out more and more with every passing day. He didn't pretend to not understand why Jackie brought it out in him. He saw in her eyes why she did. Those beautiful, expressive, blue-green eyes.

"That day, in the girls toilets, why were you crying?" Hyde's question took her by surprise. Then she sighed, remembering that day clearly, as if it was burned into her memory.

"Daddy had been out of town on business, which was normally okay, because my mom would be around. But as soon as Daddy left the house, she'd started packing. She told me that the maids would look after me, and Daddy would be back soon." Jackie relived the pain of seeing her mom leave.

Hyde put his arms around her, not saying anything, letting his actions tell her he was sorry. He could relate to that. At least he'd had the Foreman's to look after him. Jackie was all alone in that ridiculously oversized house. He made a decision. "Jackie, you're staying here tonight."

Jackie heard him, but she didn't take his words in. The she brought her head up sharply. "_What_?"

"I'm can't be bothered to walk you home, and you're not walking home by yourself, so you're staying here. With me."

Jackie saw through his lame excuse in a second, and she smiled broadly. "Steven!! Thank you!" She rewarded him with another sizzling kiss, which he reluctantly broke off.

"I'll drive you home in the morning. You can pick up some stuff and then you can stay here at night." Jackie was yet again amazed at her boyfriend. Things may have seemed like they were moving too fast, but Jackie knew it was right. They had to make up for lost time. If only that stupid Polly hadn't come into the bathroom three years ago, her and Steven might have had those years together. She knew that Steven would only go as far as she wanted to, so she wasn't worried about that. She giggled, as she thought of things she could bring from her room to decorate his. Hyde heard the giggle, and decided to ignore it. He got up and gave her his favourite Zeppelin t-shirt, "To sleep in" he answered her questioning look. They both got ready for bed, Jackie drooling over the sight of Steven in sweats and being able to see his muscular body, and Steven almost exploding at the sight of Jackie in his t-shirt. She'd never looked hotter, looking all sweet and innocent and gorgeous in his top. He settled down in the cot behind her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly against him. His body reacted to the closeness, but he ignored it and sighed, content, as they both drifted off to sleep.

As the El Camino pulled up to school, after stopping at the Burkhardt house so Jackie could pick up some fresh clothes and do her make-up, the whole school stopped and looked. It was as if they had been waiting for the car to arrive. Everyone was dying to know what the cafeteria scene yesterday was about. As the engine stopped, everyone held their breath. Out got Hyde. And, yes, wait, yes, that was Jackie Burkhardt stepping out of the Camino! So it wasn't a dream, it was real! The odd couple were together, and, wait, what was that, they were holding hands! Hyde, Mr. Cool, was holding the cheerleader's hand!

Jackie tried to ignore the whispers, but it was hard. She gripped Hyde's hand tight, and kept her eyes on the door they were heading towards. Hyde ignored the whispers. He didn't give a crap about what people thought. Well, he did, but it was a selective group of people, and he knew none of them were in the whispering masses. He pushed open the door and let Jackie go through, earning himself another soft smile, which set the whispers off at double time. They stopped at Jackie's locker and she babbled about her first class, while he rolled his eyes at the Donnie Osmond picture on her locker door.

"Hyde!" He spun around to find Eric, Donna and Fez coming towards them. "Guess what? Fez has a girlfriend!"

Hyde grinned. "Hey little buddy! Congrats!" He turned to Eric and whispered, "Is she real?" Eric laughed and nodded. Fez looked outraged.

"My Nina is real! She is the most beautiful girl in the world. I wonder when she'll let me do it?" Hyde smirked.

"Now Fez. We talked about this yesterday._ I'm_ the most beautiful girl in the world." Jackie turned around with her hands on her hips.

Fez looked Jackie up and down and then shook his head. "Nope, my Nina is hotter. Sorry Jackie. You are still beautiful, but you do not compare to my Nina."

Hyde, Eric and Donna burst out laughing at the look on Jackie's face. She grinned for a split second, then put her mask back up, pretending outrage. "Steven, _you_ think I'm the most beautiful, don't you?"

"Well, Jackie …" Hyde began, putting his arm around her shoulder as they began to walk down the hall. "I haven't seen Nina yet, so I couldn't in all honesty say that." 

Jackie squealed and hit him. "You pig!" 

Donna and Eric glanced at each other and smiled. Yeah, they had to look hard, but today they had seen a glimpse of a nice Jackie. They all walked together, all feeling the stares of Point Place High School, but they all ignored it. All of them were used to gossip, and all of them knew how insignificant gossips were. They picked up Kelso on their way to class. Hyde kept himself between Jackie and the stares, and Donna chatted non-stop to Jackie to distract her, even putting up with some lumberjack comments, because she was starting to like Jackie, and wanted to protect the younger girl from the stares. Hyde squeezed Jackie's hand, and thought that he'd have to take back the comment about his friends not liking Jackie. They were starting to accept her, which was amazing because it had only been a day, but he wasn't surprised. Now, it was just the rest of the world who had to come to terms with the relationship. He didn't think it was going to be so easy to stop the stares and whispers.


	4. Whispers & Stares

**Whispers & Stares. All feedback is brilliant, thanks to those that have!**

Hyde sighed. When were people gonna get over this? He and Jackie had been together for over a month, plenty of time for people to come to terms with it, and move onto something else, like Kelso dating Eric's sister, or Fez finally doing it. Praise the Lord, Fez had finally had sex! Hyde sighed again. Unfortunately, it hadn't stopped Fez. Before it was: When do I get to have sex? Now, it was: Sex is amazing, I have sex three times a day, I love Nina, blah blah blah. He tuned out when Fez started, the same way he did when Eric went all Star Wars on him, or when Jackie said, well, pretty much anything. The difference with Jackie was, he liked watching her when he was ignoring her. He got to stare at her, while she pretended he looked at her because he was listening. They both knew the truth, but it was a fair deal. He couldn't do that with Fez or Eric, cos they weren't pretty.

He was sitting on the hood of the Camino with Jackie, waiting for Kelso and Fez after school. Everyday, before class, during class, during lunch, and after school they had to put up with the whispers and the stares. It was getting too much, man. He'd thought they'd stop, but they were still going strong. Apparently, Kelso had heard some jerk talking about how Hyde must be really great in the sack for Jackie to go slumming it for so long. Hyde had to be restrained by both Kelso and Eric to stop him finding the jerk and slamming his face into the nearest wall. It wasn't the slumming part that pissed him off so much, it was the way he talked about Jackie, like she was a slut or something, and she was addicted to sex. He knew that wasn't true, but everyone else seemed to think Jackie was a slut for some reason. He had no idea why, because she'd always seemed really innocent whenever they got heavy. Hyde couldn't reconcile the rumours with what he knew of Jackie. But then again, he never listened to rumours, so he was gonna stop caring so much. Hyde laughed to himself when he thought about all the rumours that he'd heard over the years about himself. No wonder most of the school was terrified of him. The best ones he'd heard included that he'd been in jail for murder, he'd been in a bar brawl and taken out the whole bar without a bruise to show for it, and he'd broken into a bank and pulled off a job. Anyone who hung out in the basement knew how ridiculous the rumours sounded, but to the rest of the school, and the world, the rumours were taken as gospel.

He looked over at Jackie, who'd been silent for five minutes, something she hadn't achieved since they'd first gotten to know each other. Damn, that meant something was wrong. He ignored the stares and whispers, and stretched his arm behind her waist, dragging her closer to him. He started his own whispering game.

"What's wrong?"

Jackie leaned into his side, warming herself against his body. She breathed in, taking in Steven's smell, that smell of smoke and faint aftershave and soap. She liked that smell, much better than someone like Fez. Who knew what he was thinking when he got ready in the morning?! You could smell Fez a mile away, that stench of four different aftershaves mixed together could have you sneezing all day. Jackie reached up and kissed Hyde's cheek, feeling his beard tickle her lips. When Hyde had first started to grow the thing, she'd worried that he'd look even dirtier and scruffier than usual. Then she'd stopped herself and realised that she didn't care how Hyde looked, and that, in fact, he looked more sexy and manly than ever.

She whispered back: "Nothing … I just heard some girls talking about us in the bathroom." Hyde frowned, he knew this wasn't going to be good. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to tell him what she'd heard, but just as she opened her mouth, Kelso and Fez came running up.

"Hey man, lets _go_!" Kelso spoke quickly and climbed into the back. Hyde frowned, Kelso seemed in a hurry, which was unlike him, unless there was a girl waiting somewhere. He and Jackie climbed in and drove to the Hub. They ordered food and sat down. Hyde put his arm around Jackie, feeling the need to touch her as often as possible. Maybe it was to stake his claim, or maybe it was because he was addicted, he didn't know. He felt Jackie's hand stroking his leg under the table, and groaned inwardly at the pleasure she aroused.

"So man, why the rush?" Hyde asked Kelso, trying to sound normal.

"Oh, no reason." Kelso was a terrible liar, and Hyde raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise to not get mad." Hyde sighed. That was a sure sign that whatever it was, he was going to be mad. "I was behind the gym, making out with Pam Macy, and she told me that Buddy had told her about something Chip told him."

"Spit it out Kelso!" Hyde wanted to know what this thing was now.

"Man, Hyde, calm down. Anyway, so Pam told me that Chip said he thought you were drugging Jackie into dating you."

Hyde rolled his eyes. Big deal, he could ignore that.

Kelso continued … "And that you were only screwing her to get her money…" Hyde froze, and he looked at Jackie, who looked back at him, trying not to laugh. "And …." Kelso stopped.

Okay, this was it. Whatever it was, it had to be bad, because Kelso looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, and doing anything but talking about this. Hyde saw Kelso and Fez exchange looks, and neither said anything.

Fez spoke up after about 3 agonising minutes. "And Chip said that Jackie must be the biggest slut in Point Place to want to do it with a poor person, especially if that poor person is Hyde." Fez said it as quickly as he could. Hyde felt the rage build inside him. He looked at Jackie, who looked like she was gonna cry. He turned to Fez and Kelso.

"Thanks guys. I'm gonna take Jackie home. I'll see you later." The guys nodded, sympathetic for once, not trying to be funny or goofy. He took Jackie's hand and led her to the car. They didn't speak til they got to his room. Jackie immediately crawled onto the bed and started crying. Hyde didn't know what to do, so he just sat next to her, stroking her face, wishing he could have avoided this.

Eventually Jackie stopped crying and sat up. She looked at Hyde. He tried to smile at her, but knew he did a bad job of it.

"You …. you don't think ….. you know its not true, right?" Jackie said in a small voice. Hyde started, and looked at the tiny girl whose long dark hair fell in front of her face, hiding her from him. He stroked her hair away from that beautiful face and tucked it behind her ear. He then put his finger under her chin and gently forced her to look into his eyes. He wanted her to look into his eyes, so she would know he meant what he was going to say.

"Jackie." He took a deep breath. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I've heard the rumours, but I ignored them. Just as I'm sure you've heard some of the rumours about me. I've ignored them because I know they're not true, they're just said by stupid people in an attempt to cause pain and try to look cool. I know you respect yourself too much to sleep around. And I respect you for that."

Jackie looked into Hyde's eyes, and saw the truth. She tried to smile, but failed as miserably as he did. "How did this happen?"

"What? The rumour?" Hyde was confused.

"No, us. We're complete opposites. In almost every possible way. You're the last person I thought could make me feel this way. I thought I'd fall for a quarterback, or a rich country club guy, but I've fallen for the badass Steven Hyde, who's never played football, and never been in a country club, and who will probably never earn more than minimum wage." Jackie said this with a smile, she didn't want him to think she was insulting him.

Hyde grinned. He wasn't insulted, he was glad Jackie had no illusions about him. He was glad that whatever Jackie was feeling, it was about the real Hyde, not some idealised version of him that she dreamed up.

"You're so unsociable. You're rude. You're rough. You're scruffy and you don't like most people. But you're also protective, and sweet, and sexy as hell. You never say sweet things to me, but that's okay, because I just look into your eyes and I know that you're telling me in different ways how you feel." Jackie leaned forward and kissed him softly. "And best of all, you know me. The _real_ me. And you accept me, even the annoying me."

Hyde was embarrassed. "Look, if you ever tell anyone that you think I'm sweet or protective, I'll deny everything and you can sleep on your own in that house, no more sleeping with me." Jackie just giggled.

"See? You're trying to be cool, but I know you don't mean that. You'd never let me sleep in that house alone, because you didn't like it even when you didn't really know me." Hyde groaned. Dammit. She knew him too well. He was gonna have to take care of that. So he pushed her down onto the bed and kissed her with all the passion he felt, feeling more aroused when she gave as good as she got than he could ever remember being. But he couldn't let it go on, particularly not after today. He broke it off, regret in his eyes. But he saw gratitude in her eyes, as well as something else, something he couldn't name. But he didn't think it was anything bad, because it made her eyes shine.

"So. What are we going to do about Chip?" Jackie asked, still shaken by the strength of that kiss.

Hyde knew exactly what he was gonna do, the only thing he could do. But there was no need to let Jackie know this. "Erm … I don't know. I'll let it slide, but if I hear anyone say anything like that again, they'll regret it." Jackie saw the look in Hyde's eyes, and she felt afraid for the person who crossed her boyfriend. Her gorgeous, sexy, amazing boyfriend.

"C'mon, I wanna watch Charlie's Angels." Jackie jumped up as she heard the familiar theme through the walls of the bedroom. Hyde rolled his eyes, but followed Jackie into the basement, seeing Eric and Donna making out on the couch.

"Yuck!" Jackie always said that when she saw Donna and Eric making out, and they'd gotten used to it, realising that Jackie wasn't saying it to be mean. They didn't know why she said it, but they'd still gotten used to it.

"Hey guys, whatcha been up to?" Eric smirked at Hyde.

"We've been talking about Chip." Hyde said.

Donna and Eric both looked up, surprised. That wasn't the answer they'd been expecting. "Chip the quarterback?" Donna asked.

Jackie caught Hyde's eye and they both smirked at the mention of quarterback. "Yeah."

"Well, that's some pillow talk we haven't tried, Donna." Eric joked. Donna hit him, realising that something was probably wrong. "Why were you talking about him?"

"He's been saying horrible stuff about Steven and me." Jackie didn't look up, she didn't want Eric or Donna to see she was upset about it.

"With the focus being on Jackie, and calling her a few choice names." Hyde informed them, just as Kelso and Fez walked in. Kelso went to the freezer and grabbed a popsicle.

"Are we talking about Chip?" He asked, trying to concentrate on unwrapping the popsicle. Hyde nodded.

"What did Chip say about Jackie?" Eric was curious.

"That she was a whore." Fez said.

Donna and Eric both looked at Hyde. He saw the fear in their eyes, and he knew what they were thinking. And they were right to think that. He was gonna make that idiot eat those words.

"Erm … Hyde, maybe …" Hyde didn't want Eric to say anything in front of Jackie, so he quickly stopped him.

"Its okay, Foreman. I'm letting it go this time. Not next time though." Eric didn't believe him for a second, but he realised this wasn't something that Jackie should worry about.

"Baby, why don't you go get us a drink and some cake? Mrs Foreman made a chocolate one yesterday, should be some left." Jackie didn't like being told what to do, but she was hungry, so she decided that she'd let it go this once. She bounded up the stairs, as the gang quickly gathered round Hyde. He sighed, yet again. He was doing a lot of that today.

"Look, don't worry. Its about time the whole whispering and staring thing was over already. I'm just gonna let Chip know that he can't say things like that. Especially about Jackie."

Fez picked at his candy. "But Hyde, everyone says Jackie is a whore." Hyde frogged him.

"Look Fez, you're my buddy, so I'm gonna not kill you this time. Jackie is not a whore. I know what everyone says about her, but I'm telling you, I know her, and its not true. I'd swear my stash on it." Everyone gasped. Hyde must be serious. "It's like when that rumour went around about me being in jail for murder. It's just ridiculous, you know?"

"But Hyde, you _were_ in jail for murder." Kelso said.

"Kelso, you're such a moron sometimes. I wasn't in jail for anything. Don't you think I'd still be in jail if I'd been put away for murder?" God, sometimes Kelso's stupidity astounded him.

Jackie came back down the stairs and handed Hyde his cake. She giggled. "I started that one."

Hyde stared at her. "You told everyone I was in jail for murder?" Jackie kept giggling and nodded.

"Well, that's cool. At least I don't have to be sorry about the rumour I started about you and Jimmy Headgear." Hyde smirked. Jackie gasped and hit him.

"That was you?! My reputation was ruined for weeks! You pig!" Hyde laughed, as did the rest of the gang. They had slowly realised that while Jackie was rude, and blunt and sometimes mean, she wasn't all bad. She didn't sound too upset with Hyde for starting that rumour. They all settled down to watch some gorgeous girls run around and pretend to kick ass. Jackie was blissfully happy that Steven knew the rumours weren't true, and she didn't care what anyone else thought. Hyde was glad Jackie was okay, but he still needed to teach Chip a lesson. A lesson that would be learned tomorrow, and learned the hard way.


	5. Hyde's Revenge

**A lesson learned?**

Jackie stifled a yawn. She kissed Hyde on the cheek. "I'm gonna go …. have a nap before you take me home." Hyde nodded. Foreman still didn't know Jackie was sleeping here every night, and Eric was still down here. Hyde guessed Eric wanted to talk about something. Jackie shut the door behind her and fell into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Okay Foreman, out with it."

Eric looked up. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know man. I wanna take Chip and make him cry like he's made Jackie cry. I want him to physically hurt as much as Jackie's been hurt emotionally."

Eric nodded slowly. "That's understandable. I mean, if some guy said stuff about Donna ….. yeah, I'd definitely want you to hurt him that bad and defend Donna's honour for the both of us."

Hyde grinned. "But its different this time, y'know?"

Eric nodded again. "This time its not about you. Or about the kid that's being bullied. Or about Kelso, Donna or me."

Hyde sighed. He'd been in a lot of fights over the years. But they weren't his fault. He never went _looking_ for a fight. Somehow they just found him. Like the time he walked in on some big idiot trying to take a little kid's money. He hadn't gone in looking for a fight, but the guy swung at Hyde when he'd tried to help the little kid out. It wasn't his fault that he ducked and threw a punch in defence. And it wasn't his fault that the guy had got a broken nose. He must have just had frail bones. Yeah, that was it. And when someone picked on his friends, what else was he meant to do? He couldn't stand by and watch Eric get beaten to a pulp, or watch Donna getting her hair pulled. Actually, yes he could. A girl fight. That would be hot. Well, in his dreams it would, but in real life, Donna would get hurt. She was pretty strong, but she didn't know how to fight like a girl, so in a girl fight, she'd lose big time. And he never got into fights over something personal anymore. He used to get into fights almost everyday, but that was when he was younger, and people called him poor, or dirty, and so on. He'd get so angry and lash out, which is were he'd learned to fight so well, and where he'd earned his reputation. But as he'd grown older, he'd learned to ignore people, and control his anger.

But this was different. This was so different that he couldn't begin to explain it.

"I know man. That's why I don't wanna lose my head."

"What did Chip say about Jackie, exactly?" Eric still didn't know exactly what had been said.

"He said that she was the biggest slut in Point Place for doing it with a poor person. And in particular, doing it with me."

Eric raised his eyebrows. Man, if anyone said that about Donna, despite joking with Hyde, he'd lose it himself. "Tell me."

Hyde looked up in surprise. Eric was his best friend, and he knew Hyde never talked about personal stuff. But this was different too. Everything about Hyde was different, since Jackie.

"She's so small, you know? She acts mean and tough, but deep down, she's only a small little girl. She brings out this protective streak in me. I wanna grab her and hold her tight so no-one can ever hurt her. But I can't, so she does get hurt. And she's been hurt because she's with me."

"She's been hurt cos of some small-brained jerk, Hyde. Not because of you."

Hyde ignored Eric. "I know you guys have been putting up with her for my sake, and I really appreciate it man. She doesn't really have any friends, but she really likes you guys. Especially Donna. I think she might be the first girl she's known who's been real, y'know? Instead of those fake idiots she hangs round with at school. Dammit. I wanna pound this guy's head in until …. well, actually, I don't want to stop pounding him."

Eric listened to his friend, who he'd known since, well, forever. Hyde had always looked out for him, and everyone else he cared about. Sure, most of the time it was Hyde beating them up, but whenever someone else tried, Hyde stepped in and made them regret it. He knew Hyde was protective, and hell, they were just his friends. He couldn't imagine how Hyde was feeling now it was Jackie that was getting hurt.

"I've never seen you like this before, man. It's …. weird, but its cool. I never thought it would be Jackie Burkhardt that would bring out the inner Hyde." Hyde frogged him. "Hey man, it's a good thing!"

"Like I said, she's just so small. And she makes me want to protect her. Like Donna protects you." Eric laughed. "You know what Hyde? I'm not ashamed of the fact that my girlfriend is stronger than me. There, I said it."

Hyde grinned, but his face quickly turned serious again. "Eric …" Eric looked up, Hyde never called him Eric. "What if I can't control myself? What if I can't stop?"

Eric looked at his friend. "Hyde, I know you're gonna do this, and I totally support it. Me, Donna, Kelso, Fez, we'll look out for you, for once. We'll make sure you stop. You've looked out for us all these years, its time we repaid you."

"Thanks man."

"Anytime." Eric paused. "So, you and Jackie, you think it might be serious?" Eric already knew the answer, but he wondered if Hyde would say it.

"Hey, me being serious about a chick?" Hyde tried to laugh but failed. His shoulders drooped. "Hey, who am I trying to kid? She's just so … different when it's the two of us. I know she's annoying, and spoiled, and she can pull off some wicked burns, but when we're alone, she's me."

Eric frowned. He didn't get it. Jackie turned into a female Hyde? Now that was a scary thought!

"We both ended up with crap parents. Its just that hers have money to throw at her, while mine, well, they had fists to throw or hands to slap. She understands me, she sees beneath the crap." Hyde couldn't believe he was saying this. He was spending too much time with girls. And that included Foreman. And Hyde had his suspicions about the last couple of stashes he'd got from Leo. They were messing with his head. Time for a threat. "If you ever repeat that to anyone Foreman, I'll kick your ass."

Eric grinned. For a second there, he'd been terrified. Hyde had opened up to him! He'd had no idea how to react, what to say, what to do. Luckily the old Hyde had returned. It made Eric glad that Hyde had Jackie to open up to; he didn't think he could handle an emotional or open Hyde. He liked his Hyde closed, sarcastic and insulting. Anything else was just too freaking terrifying. Eric climbed the stairs, safe in the knowledge that tonight's Hyde would be long gone when he woke up.

Hyde opened the door to his room and saw Jackie sleeping on his cot. He smiled as he saw that she was fully clothed, she hadn't even managed to get undressed before falling asleep. He woke her up and helped her get undressed, while she sleepily stood by the bed. When she was stripped, she fell back into bed. Hyde grinned and climbed into bed with her. Yeah, life was good. Jackie half asleep was his favourite kind of Jackie. Too tired to say anything, and looking hot as hell, all tousled from sleep and it was the one time when she didn't have make-up on.  She looked gorgeous, and he knew he was the only one who saw her like that. Yeah, life was good.

Life wasn't good. At least, life wasn't good for Chip. At least, life wasn't going to be good for Chip by the time Hyde got hold of him. All day he'd been itching to get his hands on the jerk, and the more whispers and stares he'd had to put up with today, the angrier he got. By the end of school, people were clearing the corridor when they saw Hyde coming. There was a rumour going round that he and Jackie had split up and that's why he looked so mad. But they'd had lunch together on the Camino, so most people ignored that rumour. Suddenly, the whispers had turned into shouts and suddenly everyone was running to the area behind the gym. Jackie found herself following the crowd, without knowing where she was going or why. When she finally stopped, she saw Steven surrounded by a group of people. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd, and she saw Chip looking scared, facing Hyde, who looked madder than, well, anyone she'd ever seen before.

"Go on. Tell me exactly what you said. Word for word." Hyde asked sweetly. No-one was fooled for a minute, not even Chip.

"Look, Hyde, man, I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. It was a mistake, yeah?"

Hyde smiled. "That's not what you said. C'mon, I wanna hear it." Jackie looked around for someone to lean on, but all she saw were faces of people she knew but didn't want for support. She kept glancing around, until she saw Eric standing behind Hyde. She moved towards him, finally reaching him, and she slipped her arm through his. He looked down at the girl in surprise, and then he smiled. Yeah, he could see what Hyde saw in her. Donna let go of Eric's other arm and moved to the other side of Jackie, holding her hand as they all watched, holding their breath.

"I guess I might have said something about …. erm….Jackie." Chip stumbled over the words. He was terrified of Hyde. He would be terrified of Hyde on a normal day, but Hyde was more than angry, and he was looking straight at him.

"And what might you have said about her?" Hyde asked politely.

"I said ….. she was probably on drugs …. and you were only dating her for her money …."

"Yeah, go on." Hyde was enjoying himself. He was going to enjoy the next few minutes even more.

"And I might have … erm …. called her a ….slut." Chip whispered the last word, so most people had to crane their heads to hear.

Hyde was so sick of whispers. He grabbed Chip by his top and let his arm reach back …. And he let go with more force than he'd ever hit with before. Chip was floored. He tried to get up but Hyde hit him again. And again. Taking out all the anger and pain he felt for Jackie on Chip. He felt Eric pulling him away, but he didn't want to stop. He hit Chip again, and this time he felt Kelso pulling him away as well. He still wanted more and tried to break free, but Jackie stood in front of him. He stopped pulling away immediately. He looked down at her, hoping she wasn't appalled by what he'd done.

Jackie reached for his hand and looked at his bleeding knuckles. She looked up then, and he saw her eyes swimming with tears. She brought his hand up to her mouth and gently kissed his cuts. She pulled his face down to hers and gave him a kiss. He pulled her into a tight hug, able for that moment to protect her from any hurt. By the time they broke free, most of the crowd had left. He hoped this little show would make them stop their whispering and their stares, and he hoped it would stop anymore hurtful rumours about Jackie. Anyone who dared to say a word about Jackie wouldn't have Eric and Kelso to help them next time. He suddenly remembered his friends, and he turned around, keeping Jackie tucked up close to him. He smiled ruefully at them.

"Sorry guys. I got a little carried away." They all laughed, glad it was over.

"Hey Hyde, can you teach me how to hit like that?" Donna asked. "Me too!" Kelso chimed in. "I bet all the chicks would want me if I could fight like that."

"Kelso, most of the chicks want you anyway. And if you got into a fight, you'd be too scared your looks would get ruined to be able to think about throwing a punch." Eric pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true." Kelso laughed. "Who needs to fight when they're as pretty as me?"

Everyone groaned. The whole group chattered on as they walked towards the car park, but Jackie stayed quiet for once. She didn't take her eyes off of Hyde for a second. She'd known how she'd felt about him before today, but seeing him stand up for her like that, it made her feet float off the ground. It was lucky Hyde was holding onto her, or else she'd probably float away on the wind, she felt so light and happy. No-one had ever stood up for her before, but here she was, with a boyfriend who was protective, sweet, and sexy as hell, and now she could add heroic to that list. She'd never tell him that she thought of him as heroic, he'd just laugh at her. But inside, in her heart, she knew that he was her hero. But that would be her little secret.

Hyde looked down and saw Jackie staring up at him. "You're quiet. What are you thinking? Or plotting? And should I be scared?"

Jackie smiled. She went on tiptoes and whispered in his ear: "You're amazing." Yeah, now _that_ was the kind of whisper he didn't mind hearing;


	6. The Past Haunts Their Present

**The Past Haunting The Present**

**A/N:** Don't worry, only a small dose of angst in this, in fact, barely any at all!

Jackie sighed in contentment. She remembered back to those days, those days that seemed so long ago, but were actually only a few months ago, those days when she'd felt so alone. Funny, how you can be the most popular girl in school, and yet feel alone. But then, one day, Steven Hyde had come into her life, and he'd never left. He'd quietly moved into her life and her heart, and she had never been happier. Sure, her dad was in jail, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her mom, it had to have been at least three years ago. In fact, it was the one and only time she'd spoken to Steven before. She'd been so horrible to him when he'd been nothing but nice to her. She'd hated doing it, and she'd hated why she'd done it. She'd deserved everything he'd said about her after that, and hearing the burns made her feel better, in some strange way, like she was getting a fair punishment for being so despicable to Steven. And this time, when he'd offered her comfort, she'd been determined not to throw it away again. This time, she'd not let him go, even after he'd made her cry in the car park. She'd deserved that, she hadn't deserved Steven being so nice to her, as he had been ever since that day. He'd put up with her, he'd defended her honour, and he cared about her. Life couldn't be more perfect.

Hyde heard Jackie sigh, and he hoped it was a contented sigh. Life was great. Moments like this, just the two of them, not having to say anything, just being with each other, it was great. Jackie didn't cling to him, or try and change him, she just accepted him. He hoped she'd stay like that, and not grow tired of him. He knew he was far from perfect, and he knew that relationships weren't his strong point, neither were feelings. In particular, expressing feelings. She knew that. If Jackie wanted to talk seriously, he'd take off his shades and listen to her, letting her see into his eyes to find what he was thinking. Not that they had serious talks very often, which was fine with him. Hyde tightened his arms that were wound around Jackie's waist as she sat on his lap as they watched tv. Eric and Donna were out on a date, something that Jackie and he rarely did, as he never had enough money to take her anywhere. His job at the restaurant paid him quite well, but most of it went to the Foremans in rent. The rest he used for gas and food. But he'd been saving for weeks now, and he finally had enough money to take Jackie to one of those nice restaurants that she was used to going to. He smiled. He couldn't believe he was behaving like this, it was all so new to him, but he was caring less and less about his change in personality and attitude. Even he was smart enough to see that Jackie was a good influence on him. He was still pretty much the same Hyde, but he was beginning to let go of all the anger and hurt he had held inside for so long.

Donna and Eric came into the basement and sat with them on the couch. "How was the date? Did Eric take you someplace nice?" Jackie asked, eager for details. She loved being with Steven, and she wouldn't change him for the world, but she missed going out to nice places, so she was always eager to hear about Donna and Eric's dates.

"We went to a movie and had a burger at the Hub." Donna smiled at Eric.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Jeez Eric, brought out the big guns tonight didn't ya?" Jackie didn't mean to sound snobby, but she couldn't help it. It was ingrained into her, and while she was changing, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was Jackie's personality. 

Donna protested. "No, Jackie, it was fun. I like simple stuff." Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Donna, you need to get out more. There's nothing more fun than being treated like a princess and eating at the most expensive restaurants while a date pays for you. It's one of the perks of being a girl." Jackie was being snobby, but she couldn't help it.

Hyde saw her reaction and a part of him was disappointed. He understood that Jackie was used to expensive things, but he'd hoped she had grown out of that by now. She knew that he couldn't afford to do things like that for her, and she knew that he hated that stuff anyway. Yet here she was, rolling her cute little eyes at Eric and Donna's simple date. Which, to him, sounded about perfect. He hated the thought of dressing up and pretending to like that rich food they always served at posh restaurants. Hell, he didn't even like cooking it at work.

"I'm gonna go get a drink, anyone else want one?" The others looked at Hyde in surprise. Hyde never got himself anything, and he certainly never offered to get anyone else something.

"Can you get me a drink babe?" Jackie smiled up at him. Hyde nodded and climbed up the stairs.

"Jackie, that was stupid." Jackie looked at Eric in surprise, as did Donna.

"What? Most things I do are stupid, you're gonna have to be more specific, Eric."

Eric grinned. "Hyde told me last night he was gonna take you out to your favourite restaurants tomorrow night. Judging by that little display, I doubt he'll ask now."

Jackie looked confused. "But my favourite restaurant …. Steven could never afford that place."

"Yeah, well, he's been saving up for weeks. He wanted to surprise you and let you have one night of your old life, you know, when you over on the Dark Side." Eric grinned, referring to the time before Jackie had been with Hyde and started being friends with them, until he got an elbow from Donna. "Ow!"

Jackie squealed in delight. "Steven's so sweet!" Then she stopped. "Wait, what do you mean you doubt he'll ask now? Why wouldn't he ask me now?"

"Jackie, Hyde doesn't like all that stuff that you like. He hates it. He'd only do it for you, but what you said just now, that was kinda like what the old Jackie would say." Eric pointed out. Jackie still looked confused.

"The old Jackie, you know, when you were mean and snobby and insulted everyone." Donna yelped as Jackie pinched her.

"You take that back, lumberjack!"

Donna rubbed her arm. "Hey, I didn't mean you were still like that. That's why I said the old Jackie. The new Jackie is kinda cool, we like the new Jackie. Most of the time. And Hyde likes the new Jackie. He hated the old Jackie though. The Jackie who insulted him all the time, and who he insulted in response. The Jackie who treated everyone who had less money than her as if they were dirt."

Jackie sat back, shocked. She couldn't deny that she had been like that. She hadn't wanted to be like that, but she had no choice. And she _had_ sounded like her old self. Oh crap, what had she done? Eric and Donna were right, Steven was never gonna take her out now! Her and her big mouth!

Suddenly she had a brilliant idea. Eric and Donna watched the smile grow on Jackie's face in confusion. They were even more confused when she jumped up and ran out of the basement. Where was she going?

Hyde was coming back down the stairs, and was surprised to find Jackie no longer sitting with Eric and Donna. He assumed she was in his room, so he went back there to give her the drink he'd brought down for her. When he found his room empty, he walked back and asked where Jackie had gone.

"We don't know, man. She just left." Eric tried to look innocent.

"And why would she do that? What did you say to her? Crap, its dark out, she shouldn't be on her own!" Hyde let his concern out by yelling at his friends.

"Well, we might have said … erm …. that you were gonna take her out tomorrow but probably not anymore after what she just said about expensive places." Eric looked worried, Hyde seemed mad.

"Foreman! What the hell?" Eric winced. "Dammit, now you've ruined my surprise. And you've probably given me a week of apologising as punishment too. Good one." Hyde slumped in his chair, glaring at Eric.

After about ten minutes of uncomfortable tension, there were footsteps on the stairs. "Steven, could you come up here for a minute? I need a hand in the kitchen."

"Sure Mrs. Foreman." Hyde shot one last glare at Eric before he climbed the stairs. When he got to the kitchen though, Mrs. Foreman wasn't around. He caught sight of a note, and recognised Jackie's handwriting.

Steven, meet me at our place. J x" He frowned. She wanted to meet him at the park? At this hour? What was she up to? He got into the Camino and quickly arrived at the park. He walked towards the tree that he and Jackie often sat under when they wanted some time alone, away from the basement. He could see Jackie sitting there, watching him approach. As he got closer, he could see her smile. Phew, so she couldn't be too mad. Unless this was a trap.

He sat next to her and looked around. They were sitting on a blanket, and it seemed like there was a basket being Jackie, but he couldn't see so well. "So, why did you want me to come here?" Hyde asked, still suspicious.

"Steven, I'm so sorry about what I said before. I don't know why I said it. I didn't even mean it. You know I don't care about fancy restaurants anymore. I want you, and I don't care that you can't take me out, I don't care that even if you could afford to take me out you wouldn't, because you hate that stuff. I'm sorry that I ruined your surprise. Forgive me?"

Hyde was taken aback. This hadn't been what he'd expected. He had expected to do the grovelling. But hey, he'd take Jackie being sorry any day. She apologised way better than he ever could. And she did it in such a sweet, cute way that he knew he could never do. "Babe, I don't understand."

"We're here because I'm going to prove to you that expensive things don't matter to me. I brought us a picnic." Jackie giggled at the shock on his face.

"You made a picnic?"

"Well, no, actually, Mrs. Foreman made it, she didn't trust me to." Hyde grinned. He wasn't surprised, he doubted Jackie had ever made a meal in her life.

She opened up the basket and brought out some food, which they shared under the stars. Afterwards, Hyde leaned against the tree and Jackie sat between his legs, wrapping her arms around his, which circled her waist. "Forgive me?" Jackie asked again.

"Babe, there wasn't anything to forgive." Jackie turned to face Hyde.

"Yeah, there was. I acted like the old Jackie, the one you used to hate. And I ruined your surprise. I did this to show you that I don't care about that stuff anymore. As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter what we do."

Hyde smiled, feeling another part of his broken soul mend. Oh God, he was turning into a girl.

"Jackie, look. Firstly, Foreman ruined the surprise. Secondly, I know you didn't mean what you said. Sure, I was disappointed, but I understood that it was just some leftover stuff from your old self. I know you don't care about that stuff anymore. Thirdly, and most importantly, I never hated you." Hyde kissed Jackie's nose as she looked at him, puzzled.

"Yes you did. After those things I said to you that time, a few years ago. You hated me then. You insulted me all the time."

Hyde looked sad. "Babe, I never meant any of the things I said. I did it to protect you. I knew back then that you never wanted to say the things you said to me that day. I saw it in your eyes. I felt so awful, knowing that when you ran out of there, you were upset and in pain, and I knew it was my fault, that it was because you'd been seen with me. So I made sure you wouldn't have to go through that again. I insulted you all the time, hoping you'd keep your distance. And you did."

Jackie's mouth was wide open in shock. "Steven! That is ……… the most amazing thing I've ever heard!"

"What, that I insulted you a lot?" Hyde tried to cover up his embarrassment with humour.

Jackie punched him on the arm. "Steven, you know what I meant. But you're so stupid! If you hadn't done that, we could have been together long ago."

"Now, Jackie, I like you, but I don't think I could have handled you three years ago."

Jackie shrugged. She supposed he was right. She couldn't get over what he'd done for her though. Every day he managed to be even sweeter than the day before. She couldn't understand what she'd done to deserve him, but she knew she'd never do anything that might make him want to leave. She got up and pulled Hyde up with her, then she slipped her hands around his waist. His arms circled her and he pulled her in tight, tangling his hands in her long hair. Jackie closed her eyes. There it was again. Steven protecting her. Protecting her without her even realising it.

She pulled her head back and looked up into Steven's eyes. He looked down and saw Jackie staring at him, and he couldn't help but stare back. Jackie opened her mouth as if to say something, but she stopped, and rested her head back on his chest. And he heard her say, ever so softly …

"I love you, Steven Hyde."


	7. Left Unspoken

**Left Unspoken ...**

**A/N: Hey, I think this may turn out to be my last chapter, I have other ideas floating around that I wanna get out! Unless demand is high, I'll say goodbye to the sweet, caring, sexy Hyde and get back to some good old fashioned gruff Hyde! As always, reviews are goooooood! I've upped the age on this one: warning - smut alert!**

Jackie was back to feeling alone. That feeling that she thought had gone with Steven entering her life had returned, and somehow it was worse. For the last two weeks, he'd been pulling away from her, keeping that mask he saved for other people on even when they were alone. Jackie thumped her head on her desk as she sat trying to figure out some stupid equation that she needed to learn for tomorrow. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. She'd said those words, they'd come out even though she'd thought she had herself under control. She'd almost said them, but managed to stop herself. She'd put her head on her chest, and suddenly she was saying them without realising it. Ever since that night, Steven had acted differently. She knew better than to call him on it, but she didn't know how she was going to get him back to normal. Dammit, why had she said it? She thumped her head down again. Jackie couldn't understand Steven's reaction, being told that you're loved was meant to be a good thing, one of the best things that could happen in life. Yet Steven didn't seem to have learned that lesson. Instead of saying the words back, like she'd desperately wished he would, even though deep down she knew he wouldn't, he'd run a mile in the opposite direction. She hoped she hadn't ruined everything. Down went her head again.

When she walked into the basement later that day, she was relieved to find Steven on his own. She walked towards him and forced herself onto his lap. His arms went round her in reflex and she bent to kiss him. "Hey babe. Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing. Watching tv." Hyde was his usual unforthcoming self. Jackie sighed inwardly. Then she got up and headed for his room, waiting for him to follow her. 5, 4, 3, 2 … Hyde came into view.

He shut the door behind him, put his shades on the side, and sat next to Jackie. His arms went round her and pulled her towards him. Their lips met in a passionate explosion of all the emotions they were both feeling, yet couldn't communicate to each other. Jackie's hands roamed his back, finding their way under his top and stroking his bare skin. Hyde pulled her closer and she felt his hand stroking her cheek. Jackie sighed against his lips. Despite his retreat, he was still as passionate as ever. They broke away, Jackie grinning as she rubbed her lips.

Hyde saw and grimaced. "Sorry. Do you want me to shave?" Jackie shook her head, she liked the beard, despite the irritation against her skin.

"Steven …" Hyde didn't look up, he didn't like the sound of that 'Steven'. He already knew what she was going to say and he tried to avoid it a little longer. "We have to talk about it."

Well, that didn't work. "Jackie, there's nothing to talk about." Yeah right, like she was gonna believe that one.

"Really?"

"Yep. Really."

Jackie just looked at him until he gave up and looked at her. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want to know why you've been acting the way you have. When we're alone, you never used to act like Hyde. You acted like Steven. My Steven. Now, just because I did something stupid, you've gone back to being Hyde."

Hyde ignored the twinge he felt when he heard Jackie describe what she said as stupid. "Look, Jackie, can we just forget about it?" Jackie heard the pleading in his voice, and realised that he probably wasn't aware of how he sounded. She knew when to push and when to back off. Now was definitely a backing off moment. She'd made her point, and hopefully he'd go back to normal. Jackie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He looked up surprised. "Okay, it never happened." Jackie smiled that brilliant smile, and Hyde lost himself in her eyes. He was so glad that she wanted to forget it too. He couldn't cope with emotions like love, it was too soon. He'd only just come to terms with having a girlfriend, what she'd said … admittedly it had made him go lightheaded and his first instinct was to hold her tight and repeat the words back to her. He knew that was what she'd wanted, but he couldn't. He couldn't say what she wanted to hear. Not yet, anyway.

Later that evening, when the whole gang were in the basement, Hyde couldn't stop himself from touching Jackie anywhere and everywhere, in subtle ways so the guys wouldn't notice. For the last two weeks, he'd been holding back, but now they were pretending that nothing happened, he could touch her, hold her, tell her things that he'd wanted to tell her over the last two weeks but hadn't. Donna and Eric were on the couch, making out and Fez was watching them intently, while Kelso was laughing at something on tv. Hyde wanted to throw them all out so he and Jackie could be alone, but he couldn't. Or could he?

"Hey Fez, do you want some popcorn while you watch the live show?" Hyde asked.

"Fez!" Donna stopped Eric and saw Fez grinning at them. "You're such a perv! C'mon Eric, lets go for drive." Eric and Donna quickly left. Okay, that was half of them gone.

"Kelso, weren't you meant to see Pam tonight?" Hyde asked.

"I don't think so. I don't know. Oh man, have I forgotten? Dammit!" Kelso was too easy, man. Fez on the other hand …

"Please, continue your making out." Fez grinned.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Beat it Fez." Amazingly enough, Fez listened to her and walked out of the basement. Jackie grinned at Hyde. "Good plan." Hyde groaned. Was he that obvious? Jackie made a man stupid, she made him do stuff just so he could touch her. Sooner or later, Hyde was gonna explode if Jackie kept things moving slow. Hyde never pushed her, he always let her dictate the pace, and he always would, but he was still an 18 year old boy, and dammit, but Fez wasn't the only one with needs! Jackie pulled him up and raced him to his room, which he let her win. He shut the door and felt her pushing him back against the wall, as she reached up for a kiss. Hehe, Hyde liked Jackie's dirty urges. They were good to him. The kiss deepened, and softened, from passion to caring in a matter of seconds. Jackie pulled away.

"Steven …" Hyde looked up expectantly. "I think … erm …. that I might be …. erm …. maybe we should ….you know." Jackie was adorable when she was nervous, and Hyde took his time, knowing that it wasn't often that Jackie Burkhardt was nervous.

"Should what, babe?"

"Fulfil those …. Dirty urges." Hyde brought his head up sharply. He sent a silent prayer to … well, whoever those kind of prayers go to.

"Are you sure? We don't have to. I'm happy to do whatever you want to do." Jackie smiled, Steven didn't have to tell her that. She knew that she loved him, despite their stupid pretence that she didn't, and she was finally ready. She nodded. Hyde took a deep breath.

"Jackie, I know we haven't talked about it, but I need to know. Are you a virgin?" Part of him wanted her to say yes, the other wanted her to say no.

"Yeah." Hyde looked at her, amazed that she wanted her first time to be with him. He felt the pressure, he knew Jackie, he knew she would have fantasised about this for years. And he was afraid that he was going to ruin her fantasies.

"Wait here a second." Jackie was confused, why was he leaving? Shouldn't they be getting naked around about now?

After five minutes, Jackie seriously considered that he'd left town, when she heard his footsteps on the stairs. He came in with his hand full. He laid some candles on the side, big, plain candles. Jackie was totally confused. He had stolen some cushions from the couch upstairs, as well as some blue sheets. He lit the candles and laid the cushions on his bed, taking off his normal sheets and putting the new ones on.

"Steven, what are you doing?" Jackie giggled.

"Jackie, its your first time. I want it to be special for you. I'm afraid I'm gonna mess it up, so I'm taking some precautions." Jackie threw herself into his arms, he was so sweet! He was amazing! He was gonna get laid real soon. She kissed him with every emotion she had inside. He kissed her back, letting his lips tell her how he felt. She felt his hand slide up her top, stopping just below her breast. She smiled at him. He smiled back, as his hand cupped her, kneading and massaging her. Jackie gasped in pleasure, as she started kissing his neck. He reached back and lifted her top over her head. She did the same to him. He pulled her back towards him, stroking her skin, lighting fires wherever his fingers touched. He pushed her back gently towards the cot, and helped her take off her jeans. He quickly got rid of his, and moved back over her. He wanted to make this special for her, so he starting kissing her all over, stroking and massaging her skin. She looked so beautiful, laying underneath him, looking up at him with complete trust. God, no-one had ever had that much faith in him, yet Jackie put herself completely in his hands, trusting him to look after her. He used his mouth and hands to bring her to the brink of orgasm, then he pulled back. He made light work of protection, then he moved back up to kiss her whimpering lips.

"Shh, baby, it's okay." He moved between her legs and slowly, painfully, pushed up. Jackie bit her lip, he knew she was in pain, but there was nothing he could do to help her. He pushed up, completely inside of her and started moving slowly back and forth. Eventually, he felt her move with him, and he looked into her eyes to see pure arousal there. He'd never been so relieved in all his life. He moved faster, making sure Jackie reached her peak, then seconds later he collapsed on top of her, completely satisfied.

Minutes later .. "Steven?" Jackie whispered.

"Mm-hm?" Hyde couldn't talk, he was still slightly out of it.

"You're heavy." He laughed and moved off her, going to his side and pulling her on top of him while she squealed. Well, she was smiling, that had to be a good sign, didn't it?

"Are you okay?" He was concerned.

"Oh my god Steven. That was …. Unbelievable! So much more than I'd ever dreamed of." Hyde grinned. Yeah, his ego was well and truly intact.

"Steven, you were amazing. That was amazing. You made it perfect."

"What, in a dark, dingy basement room with a poor orphan? You're joking right?" Hyde laughed but he heard the insecurities and wondered if Jackie could hear them too.

Jackie leaned over him, with an angry look in her eyes. "Steven Hyde. You shut your mouth. That was perfect, and you were perfect. I don't care where we are, it doesn't matter to me. I know how difficult that must have been for you, all the waiting and stuff." Hyde grinned and gave her a quick kiss.

"Okay, okay, I wont say another word." Jackie smiled as she snuggled down in Steven's arms. Yeah, life was pretty good.

Life was pretty good, Hyde thought as he heard Jackie's breathing even out and knew she'd fallen asleep. He couldn't wait to show her all the different ways that little scene could be played out. He had a feeling that Jackie couldn't either. He thought back over tonight. He was pretty experienced at sex, and tonight he was glad about that, since it meant he could show Jackie how good it could be. Much better than fumbling and awkwardness. Even though he was experienced, he had to admit that he'd never felt quite that good during or after before. He guessed that was what happened when you truly cared about someone. He leant over Jackie, smiled at the little snoring noises she was making, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her cheek. For the first time in a very long time, Steven Hyde went to bed completely content.

Everyone knew that Jackie and Hyde had done it. It was obvious to anyone, the way they looked at each other differently, the way they touched each other now, the way they always came out of his room looking flushed and satisfied. Hyde didn't care that everyone knew, he didn't care that he acted differently now. In fact, he was starting to not care about a lot of stuff that he used to. And that was good. He was changing, maturing, becoming a man, and it was all because of Jackie. She was still annoying, bratty, spoiled and a bit mean sometimes, but he knew it was a show. When the door shut and separated them from the rest of the whole, the real Jackie would appear, and everyday he fell a bit harder for her. But he still couldn't say the words. By saying the words, he knew things would change. He knew that the stakes would rise, and he'd open himself up to that much more pain if or when Jackie left him. No, he couldn't say the words.

Jackie hadn't said that she loved him since that first time. In her head, she told him every five minutes, but she never uttered a word of love. Steven had pleaded with her, and she knew she had to keep quiet about how she felt. He'd come so far in the six months they'd been together, there was no way she'd ruin it now. She was sitting in the basement with Donna and Kelso, waiting for Steven to get home from work. She and Donna were talking about Eric and sex, which wasn't anything Jackie really wanted to talk about, but it kept Donna happy. Eric appeared to have some great skills in bed, judging by the way Donna was grinning. The door opened and Hyde walked in. He dropped a kiss on Jackie's head and headed straight for his room. Jackie said goodbye to Donna and Kelso and followed him.

"Hey, how was ……" Jackie paused. Hyde was holding out flowers for her. Jackie was speechless. She stared at him, mouth wide open.

"Shut your mouth, you'll catch flies." Hyde said gruffly. He wished she'd stop staring and take the damn things, he felt stupid enough as it was. She reached out and took them, breathing in the scent.

Jackie couldn't believe it. Hyde hadn't bought her a single present in six months, and now there were flowers. She hadn't minded not getting presents, but now she was glad that he'd never bought her anything before, because then this feeling she felt, it wouldn't be the same. She threw herself into his arms. "Steven, I love …. them." Whoops, she'd almost said it, nice save Jackie, she congratulated herself. He kept a tight hold on her.

"I love you, Jackie." Jackie nearly melted onto the floor. Did she just hear that right? Flowers and a declaration of love?

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. They held a touch of fear in them. Jackie smiled that smile, the one she saved for him. "I love you too."


	8. Sleeping

Hyde sighed. He was lying on his bed in his room, with Jackie sprawled out across him, sleeping peacefully. He hadn't been sleeping much lately, and he didn't know why. He hadn't felt as content as he was right now in years. The life he'd had, well, it didn't bode well for his future, and he'd lived up to the role for years. But suddenly, a new direction had opened up to him, in Jackie. He'd never imagined someone could care about him as much as she did, yet here she was, lying across him, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Yet despite how different their lives had been, and despite how wrong they seemed to be for each other, somehow, it just worked. Whenever he found himself thinking about Jackie (which was taking up more and more of his spare time) he still had a hard time figuring out how exactly they'd gotten to this point. Six months ago, Jackie had been the most popular girl at school, she'd been a bitch (although he'd always known it hadn't been as easy for her to burn as it was for most other cheerleaders) oh yeah, she'd been a cheerleader (unfortunately, she still was, but he was working on that) and he'd been a loner, a burnout, someone who no-one dared to speak to or about, for fear of what his reaction would be. Good times, man, good times, ones that he almost missed. Almost, but not quite.

He could sure do without the gossiping that still hadn't died down much, despite his run in with Chip, and his reputation had been dented quite severely, which he hadn't gotten round to building up again, but he would. Someday. But he figured it was worth it, if he got to wake up every morning to Jackie in his arms, if he got to brush strands of her hair away from her face while no one else was around, if he got to kiss her and lose himself for a while. God, he was becoming a girl. But that was okay, he reasoned, because no one could read his thoughts. And the only person who saw him being sweet was Jackie, and he knew she'd never tell. She liked having a boyfriend who scared the jocks and everyone else at school. She loved his badass image, and she wouldn't risk him losing it for a bit of gossip. Although he suspected she told Donna a few things, because every now and again, her and Eric would give him a goofy look and laugh between themselves, which made him act extra Hyde-like to cover. It was tough work, this relationship stuff. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and pulled Jackie closer, just content with her being there.

Jackie shifted a bit in his arms, and he looked down at her. So, with all this goodness in his life, why couldn't he sleep?

The next day, Hyde and Jackie were sitting in the park, in their 'place', which had become all the more special since Jackie had told him that she loved him for the first time, in this very spot. Hyde rested against the tree, with Jackie sitting between his legs, with his arms resting on either side of her. Her head was leaning against his chest, and once again, she'd fallen asleep. Hyde watched her, not really smiling as he had his reputation, but again, he felt that contented feeling he'd been having more and more recently. More specifically, over the last six months. Yet somewhere, somewhere deep inside, there was a little voice. He'd been ignoring it for a while now, but he decided that he had to listen to it, if only to find out why he couldn't sleep. Hyde closed his eyes and concentrated. He sighed, as he finally came to realise what it was that prevented him from sleeping. It was stupid. It was silly. It was … girly. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about it, no matter how deeply buried the thought was. There was no way on this earth that he was going to tell Jackie why he couldn't sleep. Man, he was cool, he was uncaring, he was _not _Forman, he did not worry about crap like this. Hyde prayed that, now he knew what the worry was, he could pretend it wasn't there, and finally get some sleep.

Crap. It wasn't working. For the last three days, he still hadn't been able to get much sleep. But now, since he'd admitted what the problem was, all he did while he watched Jackie sleep was think about the cause of the worry. Damnit, being with Jackie had changed him. Changed him in ways that he wasn't sure he liked. But this, this was taking it too far. He did not care. He repeated it to himself, like a mantra. Okay, so he loved Jackie. Okay, so Jackie knew that he loved her. But this feeling he'd been having, this feeling … it was too much. He had to figure out a way to get over this feeling. Not only was it stupid, but it was irrational, it had no logical founding. None whatsoever. Crap.

He looked over towards Eric, who was giggling at some stupid TV show. They were the only ones in the basement, and Hyde had had enough. It was time. Eric was the only one he could talk to about this, even though he really _really _didn't want to talk about it at all. He breathed in deeply, and took it like a man.

"Forman, can I ask you something?" Eric looked up in surprise.

"When did you get here?"

"Man, I've been here for ages. Maybe I should cut down on your film intake." Hyde grinned.

Eric laughed nervously. "Good one Hyde. Erm, you are joking, aren't ya, good buddy good pal?"

"Sure man. Look, I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah? Is it about Fez and that whip? 'Cause if it is, it's not something I want to talk about."

"Er … no. Fez has a whip? You know what, never mind. Look, it's about Jackie."

"How is the peppy cheerleader these days?"

"She's fine. It's about … well … Have you ever had … feelings … about Donna that seemed really …" Hyde trailed off, not really knowing how to say what it was he'd been feeling recently about Jackie. He just knew Eric was going to laugh. He wished he'd never started this conversation.

Eric looked thoroughly confused, before a huge smile spread over his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but he took one look at Hyde's face and changed his mind. "What kind of feelings?"

"Like … you wanna protect her and stuff?"

"Hyde man, have you _seen _my girlfriend? She could take out anyone who pissed her off."

Hyde grinned. "True. But I don't mean that. I mean … you know what? Forget it. It's stupid. I'm stupid." Hyde got up and went to his room, feeling stupid and hoping Eric wouldn't bring up that stupid conversation again. If he did, Hyde might just have to prove that dented reputation of his.

He lay on his bed, thinking that maybe just talking about it with Forman had eased his mind enough so that he could get some sleep, but sleep still evaded him. He was still lying in the same position, wide awake, when Jackie slipped into his room.

"Hey babe," She said quietly. Hyde nodded to her, and felt her slip into bed with him. "Get any sleep?"

"Nope." He felt Jackie sigh. He knew she was worried about him, and that felt kind of good. He hugged her small body closer to him, and felt her shift into her usual position, half over him, hand in his hair, leg over his. Maybe he should just tell her what was bugging him, but he didn't want to look like a pansy. Oh hell, he already looked like a pansy most of the time they were together, especially when they were alone.

"How was your day?" Hyde asked, mainly so he could take his mind off things. Jackie started talking about shopping or something, and Hyde tuned out, listening to her voice, but not her words. When she eventually finished, he decided to bite the bullet.

"Look, Jackie, about this sleeping thing. I've figured out why I can't sleep." Jackie looked at him expectantly. "This is gonna sound so stupid, but … I worry about you."

Jackie looked perplexed. In fact, she looked just like Forman did when he'd heard Hyde say those words. "Why are you worried about me? I'm not in any trouble. I've never had fewer problems." She gave him that smile, the one she saved just for him, telling him without words that he was the reason that she was happy.

Hyde smiled back, and then sighed. "I didn't say I was being rational about worrying about you. I don't know why I worry about you, you don't need me to worry about you. It's just that … for some reason, I am worrying about you. I worry that something might happen to you, or that someone might hurt you and I won't be there to stop it. Or someday, your parents will come back and they'll hurt you like my parents hurt me. I'm worried about all kinds of things that could hurt you, and I wanna protect you from all of it." Okay, he'd lost some major reputation points there. Somehow, being with Jackie made him confess all kinds of things that he never thought he'd share. What annoyed him most wasn't that she did that to him, but the fact that sharing bothered him less and less, and _that_ bothered him.

"Steven!" Jackie smiled that smile as she looked up into his eyes. "It's because you love me. It makes you worry about me. I worry about you too. I worry about how you feel, what you're doing, your future … it's natural, I promise."

Hyde breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God it wasn't just him. He had seriously begun to question his sanity. Maybe this sharing thing wasn't so bad after all.

"Jackie?" Hyde whispered in her ear. She turned slightly. "You know what I'm in the mood for?" Jackie giggled. He moved closer, and whispered, "Sleep." Hyde couldn't stop the smirk forming on his face at the expression on her face. Priceless, he thought, as he bent to kiss her indignation away.


End file.
